Software Engineer

Hi! 👋 I’m Dan, CEO at TLDR. I’m looking for a Software Engineer to join us and help accelerate our growth. You’ll be working directly with me and our team to shape how TLDR scales as we become the paper of record for the tech industry.

Who We Are

TLDR is a collective of technical newsletters on startups, software engineering, AI, cybersecurity, marketing, product management, and more, with over 6 million subscribers growing 100% year-over-year.

Our mission is to build the paper of record for the tech industry—the trusted source that people who work in tech rely on to inform them about important trends and developments.

About the Role

We're looking for a software engineer who can own the entire development lifecycle:
talking directly with users and internal teams, synthesizing requirements, proposing solutions, and implementing them. You’ll ship high-quality, maintainable code fast—building internal tools, landing pages, analytics, and more with minimal external dependencies.

You’ll make engineering decisions with a strong product mindset, deeply understanding the business and user context to ensure technical solutions are directly aligned with revenue and growth goals.
Engineering velocity is the north star KPI for this role. This is a high impact role reporting directly to me, the CEO.

• What You’ll Do:

• Own the full cycle from ideation to launch: gather requirements, scope MVPs, build, ship, and measure impact

• Talk directly to internal stakeholders and users to deeply understand problems and opportunities

• Build and iterate quickly on internal tools, landing pages, and analytics with a minimal, pragmatic tech stack

• Make fast, high-quality product decisions that prioritize business outcomes over technical complexity

• Leverage AI tools like Cursor and Windsurf to dramatically increase speed, quality, and output

• Continuously improve engineering velocity by removing bottlenecks and simplifying systems

• Analyze and measure the impact of what you build on revenue, engagement, and growth goals

About You

• 3–10 years of engineering experience

• Proficient in Typescript and Postgres/Supabase

• Expert-level user of AI developer tools (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)

• Deep product mindset — you think from the user’s perspective, not just the technical one

• Fast-paced startup experience; you know how to move with urgency and navigate ambiguity

• Full-cycle ownership: you’re comfortable talking to users, defining requirements, and shipping features end-to-end

• Bias toward simplicity and minimalism in technical stacks

• Strong focus on business outcomes — you measure success in revenue, engagement, and user impact

You're Not a Good Fit If You:

• Enjoy technical complexity — we value simplicity and speed over over-engineering

• Have no experience making product or feature decisions

• Haven't worked in a startup environment

• Aren't familiar with TLDR

Interview Process

We like to keep things fast, focused, and human. Here's what to expect:

1. Recruiter Screen w/ Brandon, Director of Talent. We’ll confirm baseline fit and screen for technical experience, startup exposure, AI tooling fluency, and communication skills.

2. CEO Interview w/ Dan Ni. A conversation to assess product thinking, AI tool usage, decision-making, and ownership mindset.

3. Take-Home Assignment. You’ll build an AI-enhanced RSS Feed Reader that allows users to filter and rank stories via custom AI prompts. We want to see architecture thinking, API integration skills, and creativity.

4. Assignment Presentation Walkthrough. A deep dive with Dan & Matteo, Software Engineer, into your project: product decisions, technical tradeoffs, AI usage, and ownership mindset.

Why You'll Love It

• Competitive salary based upon leveling of the role

• 100% remote company with a shared sense of purpose

• Annual team offsite — August 2025, location TBD!

• Unlimited PTO — most team members take 2–3 weeks off per year plus holidays

• 401(k) plan

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits with a 100% paid option

• Paid parental leave

• Hardware stipend — MacBook Pro M4, monitor, headset, chair included

• Software, Learning & development stipend — we’re a curious group that values growth

• Contemporary tech stack and tools — we embrace and expect automation

• Autonomy and agency to contribute to the growth of one of the largest tech newsletters in the world

What We Value

• Urgency and bias to action

• Iterative improvement

• Clear communication

• Integrity

• Resourcefulness

If you need any accommodations in the interview process, please let us know.